Getting on with it

At 34, I was the oldest athlete representing Team Thailand at the recent 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Abu Dhabi.

It was my first time on a plane. I was so nervous but I just got on with it.

‘Getting on with it’ is what I always tell myself to do in
life.

Growing up with Down Syndrome, I struggled to express myself
and got frustrated when people couldn’t understand me. As a teenager, I was aggressive.
I shouted at others and got into fights. Sometimes, I would act out by stealing.

My family described me as ‘destructive’. My mother had to work hard to support my sister and I. She found it a challenge to take care of me. And so more than 20 years ago, my family decided to leave me in the care of the Ban Kru Boonchoo Foundation, which runs a home for children with disabilities, in Cholburi province.

In the early days at the children’s home, I felt abandoned.
If my own family didn’t want to care for me, who would?

I was so wrong. Over the years, I realized that if others are
willing to trust and believe that I am capable of good, then I must not give up
on myself. I have to get on with it.

I found a new family and purpose. Everyone is kind to me. I now
call the director of the foundation, ‘mother’. At the home, I am entrusted with
a job, helping with administrative tasks and chores. I have learnt how to be
responsible and play the role of a big brother to the younger residents.

I was thrilled to be selected to represent Thailand in
athletics at the recent World Games. I trained twice every day, before and
after work. I was told that it didn’t matter if I brought home a medal so long
as I tried my best.

But guess what? I took home two Gold medals in the 100m and
200m races. I was also selected to represent Thailand in the Athletes’ Parade
at the Games’ Closing Ceremony. I was so proud when I stepped into the huge
stadium and waved to the thousands of people cheering us on.

When I arrived home, I was so surprised to see all the staff
and my friends from the foundation waiting to give me a hero’s welcome. Our
neighbors from the village were also present, and they paraded down the street
carrying banners with my photo on them.

My life is no longer the same. I feel like a hero and a role
model, a far cry from the rebellious teenager I once was. There are still days
when I feel like I have to get on with it, but I do so standing tall and with a
fighting spirit.